Mitchell began his engineering career at General Electric Aerospace. In 1992, he joined Alpine Electronics and became a founding member of its research company which is credited for introducing navigation systems to the U.S. market. During his tenure at Alpine, he held several positions, including manager of software engineering and director of IT. His background includes management of both nonprofit and electronics industry organizations.

Mitchell’s academic credentials include a doctorate in higher education management from University of Georgia; an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University and a B.S. in electrical and computer engineering from Brigham Young University. He is fluent in Japanese and is experienced in producing successful business results internationally.

One World, One Industry: Electronics Industry Advocacy More Important than Ever

From the Americas to Europe, Asia and beyond, the future of the electronics manufacturing industry is shaped in many ways by government policies.

This will be true like never before in 2018, as legislators and regulators the world over are eyeing policy decisions on issues such as technology research and development, taxes, workforce skills, and the environment. In the United States and Europe, heightened political turmoil is creating the possibility of unexpected policy shifts. Any one of these policy shifts could have multimillion-dollar impacts on electronics companies.

An old saying in political circles is, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” So indeed, our industry deserves a seat at the table, given that IPC represents more than 4,300 member-companies across the electronics industry—from design, to printed circuit board manufacturing, electronics assembly, and testing.

Roughly 60% of our member facilities are in the United States, 20% are in Asia, and 15% are in Europe. Our members provide electronics products and services for a wide range of important industries including defense, aerospace, automotive, IT and telecoms, industrial equipment, and healthcare. The estimated annual revenues of this industry are $2 trillion worldwide.

For all these reasons, as part of our mission to help ensure our members’ success in the global economy, IPC maintains an active, multi-faceted government relations (GR) program. For example, one of the traditional ways we communicate with government officials is through formal correspondence and sometimes face-to-face meetings where they work. IPC members and our policy experts are occasionally invited to testify before government bodies on important issues.

We also host annual “fly-ins” which bring Clevel executives from our member companies to world capitals for meaningful discussions of the issues. During IMPACT Washington, D.C. 2017, we facilitated meetings with more than 30 government officials. Within the last two years, IPC opened a new office in Brussels and held two IMPACT conferences there.

Another way we work to educate, and influence government officials is through our “Meet the Policymakers” program, which invites legislators to tour our members’ facilities and interact with the people who work there. In recent years, we have organized dozens of these visits, creating goodwill and a higher awareness of IPC and our policy priorities.

On one such occasion, a member site visit by Congressman Paul Ryan occurred just weeks before he was unexpectedly elevated to the position of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, making it a very well-timed visit in terms of IPC keeping strong relationships with congressional leadership.

From time to time, we also issue Member Alerts, asking our members to call or write their elected representatives on issues of urgent concern.

Not only do we have to keep policymakers informed of our views, but we also work to educate and inform our members about the policy changes coming down the road. In 2018, we’ll continue to post frequent articles in the IPC Blog and IPC Global Insight e-newsletter; publish a quarterly e-newsletter on our advocacy work specifically; and host informational webinar and workshops on challenging policy compliance issues like taxes and environmental regulations.

Members in the United States can take their advocacy to another level by getting involved in the IPC Political Action Committee (IPC PAC)[1]. Political action committees are transparent, regulated entities in which U.S. citizens and “green card” holders can join together to support political candidates with financial contributions to their political campaigns. The IPC PAC supports pro-manufacturing candidates in both parties who are sympathetic to IPC’s policy positions.

All together, these advocacy efforts help our industry have an advantage in an increasingly competitive global economy.

How do electronics companies benefit from this work? One example is the 2015 PATH Act enacted by the U.S. Congress. This bill revived more than 50 tax provisions that had expired in 2014 and made the research and development tax credit permanent. Many of the provisions in the PATH Act were IPC lobbying objectives for many years; dozens of IPC members communicated with their lawmakers on this issue. Another example is conflict minerals. IPC has been a persistent voice regarding the cost and unintended results of conflict minerals legislation, both in the United States and the European Union. While IPC members are deeply concerned by the human rights violations that have occurred in central Africa, where minerals mining revenues have fueled local conflicts, we have supported an approach that is focused on conflict resolution, not placing undue burdens on upstream manufacturers. Today, the U.S. and European governments are addressing these issues.

For 2018, our global policy priorities include:

Advocating for workforce policies that help IPC members attract and retain more skilled talent

Strengthening the defense industrial base

Ensuring that environmental regulations are based on sound science and a fair balance of costs and benefits

Promoting a conflict resolution approach to avoid overly burdensome reporting that does not have the desired effect for conflict minerals

Adding our voice to the rising debate over electronics and motor vehicles

Advocating for intellectual property protection

Ramping up our advocacy and presence in China and the Asia-Pacific region

Which of these policy issues concerns you and affects your company the most? We’d love to hear your insights and experience and are eager to have your participation in our advocacy efforts. For more information on our government relations efforts please contact Ken Schramko, Director of Government Relations [2].

If you plan on attending IPC APEX EXPO, I encourage you to attend two GR-related events to learn more about IPC’s advocacy efforts: a technical conference session on defense electronics on Tuesday, February 27, and a Buzz session on China environmental issues on Wednesday, February 28. For more information on these events, visit the IPC APEX EXPO show site[3].

2018

From the Americas to Europe, Asia and beyond, the future of the electronics manufacturing industry is shaped in many ways by government policies. This will be true like never before in 2018, as legislators and regulators the world over are eyeing policy decisions on issues such as technology research and development, taxes, workforce skills, and the environment.

2017

Across the United States, the first Friday in October represents the annual celebration of Manufacturing Day. On this date, manufacturers and supporters come together to celebrate the longevity and success of our industry. Since 2012, Manufacturing Day has served as a chance to learn about the businesses that thrive in our communities and contribute greatly to the economy.

In a recent survey of our U.S. member companies[1], most said they have a hard time finding local talent to run their businesses. Respondents cited many essential skills that are in short supply, but the most common ones are soldering for production jobs, and engineers with industry experience, especially in process, test, and quality control. Making matters even more challenging, as new innovations emerge, new skills requirements emerge as well.

Automotive electronics is not a new topic. While there is a trend for both performance and luxury electronics, many of the recent conversations tend to focus on self-driving/autonomous vehicles. While the technology is exciting, it is just the tip of the iceberg.

The manufacturing industry is truly a global one. While the past few decades have seen the rise of manufacturing in China and countries throughout Europe and South America, the last 10 years have been marked by significant progress in India. While the greater Asian area has flourished, India has been hampered by many factors including a struggling infrastructure.

The skills gap is a chronic problem in the manufacturing sector. Most manufacturing companies have a hard time aligning the talent needed to run their businesses with the talent that is available to work locally. And as new innovations emerge, new skills requirements emerge as well.

When you have concerns about government regulations and policies that impact your business, what can you do? Among several options, a direct approach is one of the best: Reach out to your elected officials and share your concerns. The odds are good that they will be responsive and look into ways of helping out a hometown business.

Count me among those business leaders who thought the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was on the right track last year and would have brought significant benefits to all nations, including the United States. Before President Trump withdrew the United States from the TPP trade negotiations, I had argued it would have unified the world’s most dynamic economic region—bringing together developed and developing countries that collectively represent 825 million consumers and 40% of the world’s economic output.

To truly increase the number of American manufacturing jobs, President Trump should support increased investment in research and development for advanced manufacturing, promote and fund STEM education in primary and secondary schools, and build stronger apprenticeship programs. It is this type of investment—in human capital and technology—that will truly help make American manufacturing great again.

As President Trump was being sworn in several weeks ago, and as the new Congress was getting down to work, IPC released its Global Policy Framework for 2017. As we work to represent more than 3,800 member facilities across the electronics industry’s global supply chain, IPC will adhere to this framework to guide our policy work in the coming months. All of our advocacy efforts are aimed at fostering an environment in which electronics manufacturers and their suppliers can thrive and grow.

Technology isn’t just a tangible entity. It moves beyond what we can see, feel, and touch. It is ideas and theories. It includes philosophy and risks. In a way, technology itself is like the stock market. Different industries hedge their bets on emerging trends. These trends develop into useful products that change our world.

2016

John Mitchell's new column's title says it all: One World, One Industry. In the coming columns, the IPC president will be covering issues affecting the entire global electronics industry supply chain with specific expertise on global standards, education, advocacy and solutions.

The orchestra conductor is an apt metaphor for the successful leader. Effective leadership often boils down to the ability to inspire others (the symphony) to their best work, while keeping and driving the overall vision of the organization (the musical score).

On Tuesday, November 8, more than 240 million people in the United States will have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote, make their voices heard in government, and influence the direction of public policy for years to come. Much of the world is closely watching with interest in this major U.S. election.